On the Shore of the Wide World – pantsguys and Griffin Independent

Overview

The last time the pantsguys put on a Simon Stephens play, they won a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Independent Production. So you can see why they'd be keen to follow up Punk Rock with another work from the UK playwright's oeuvre, On the Shore of the Wide World. It puts them two for two, as On the Shore is a gorgeous stroke of melancholia showcasing some powerful performances.

Again, we're visiting Stockport, the town Stephens grew up in and seemingly has some issues with. Centrestage in the kitchen-sink drama is the Holmes family: caring grandfather Charlie (Paul Bertram), is not so sweet to his wife, Ellen (Kate Fitzpatrick), after a few ciders; marrieds Peter (Huw Higginson) and Alice (Amanda Stephens-Lee) don't need much prodding to go from coasting to crisis; and their teenage sons, Christopher (Alex Beauman) and Alex (Graeme McRae), face an ongoing battle against boredom. For Alex, though, the world is newly full of possibility now he's in love with girlfriend Lily (Sarah Black).

The play is not direct about plot or theme, but what comes to the fore is the ways in which the men of the Holmes line are damaged. And the dead-end town's not the only thing at fault. Worked on by violence, expectations of masculinity and war wounds passed on and on again, they are unable to express themselves as they so need to.

In Stephens' hands, this is bleak but not torturous; there's a lot to like about spending time with this family, and director Anthony Skuse brings out that warmth. The actors here have not just finesse but charm, and Higginson in particular is super simpatico as the well-meaning, pulled-in-all-directions, quietly anguished Peter; you kind of just want him to play all the dads from here on in. Black's Lily is another highlight, raising the stakes in each scene she's in.

One slight disappointment is the set design, which is appropriate in theme (canvas dropcloths, for painting and renovating) and aesthetic (sad and grey) but just not very polished or pleasant to look at. It weighs on the already small stage of the Stables Theatre, though designer Gez Xavier Mansfield's work is usually so strong and detailed.

On the Shore of the Wide World is a standout piece of new(ish) international writing done smoothly, and it sets the bar high for the Griffin Independent season in 2014.